'Lady Bird' Is a Minor Gem

When I saw Hanna in 2011, I thought Saoirse Ronan was great in it, and that she was going to be a prominent superstar and I would go liking her in the following years.  However, since then, I had only seen her in 2014’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, in which she didn’t even play the main character.  As for films where she is the lead, I haven’t got around watching them, as they are either terrible (e.g. The Host) or obscure Oscar baits (e.g. Brooklyn).

But her latest Oscar-contending film this year, Lady Bird, is currently being hyped as one of the best this year that I just have to see it.  And, as a result, I was reacquainted to the Saoirse Ronan I had thought I was going to be a fan of.

Ronan, in a compelling performance, plays the role of Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, a strong-willed, much-opinionated senior student at a Catholic high school.  She dreams of getting into an out-of-state college – one of the matters of discussions during her constant fights with her mother Marrion (Laurie Metcalf), a nurse working double-shifts tirelessly to meet ends meet.

In a way, Lady Bird is your typical teen coming-of-age comedy-drama film.  It mainly details Lady Bird’s experiences in her last year of high school, so it features familiar high school drama tropes – dispute with parents, joining a school club, starting romantic relationships, getting into the “in” crowd, pretending to be rich to impress newfound friends of the “in” crowd, alienating the old best friend and having a falling-out, making up, etc.

But what makes it somewhat unique is that it’s so raw and down-to-earth in its delivery, as if it’s not really telling a cohesive story but is rather chronicling events.  Thus, as an effect, there are scenes that seem pointless and random, not really adding anything to the storyline.  However, there are also times where this style of delivery – paired with searing, riveting dialogue – allows these familiar tropes to become more personal and insightful, making them come off as relatable experiences instead of clichés, as they feel so grounded and real.

However, in the end, though others rave about this as one of 2017’s greatest films, I honestly don’t see it that way.  It’s good, yes, but I’ve enjoyed more films above it.  Nonetheless, I do think that the film is amiable, witty, and heartfelt – a minor gem even.